Pune, 23rd September 2026: Passengers planning to travel home from Pune for the Diwali holidays are facing difficulty securing railway tickets, with seats on several popular trains filling within minutes of bookings opening. Many passengers who logged in at 8 am, when reservations began, were left with only waiting-list tickets or a ‘regret’ status.
The rush has been reported on trains connecting Pune with Konkan, Marathwada, Vidarbha and several cities in North and Central India. Passengers travelling to Nagpur, Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Danapur and Kolkata are among those facing limited availability.
Trains such as the Ajni-Pune Express, Maharashtra Express, Garib Rath, Humsafar Express and Nagpur-Pune Express see high demand during the festive season. The Azad Hind Express to Kolkata and Pune-Kazipet Express are also popular among passengers.
Similarly, trains serving Delhi, Lucknow, Patna and Danapur, including the Jhelum Express, Lucknow Express and Danapur Express, are witnessing heavy demand. With regular services filling up quickly, passengers are now looking towards special trains announced for the festive season.
The railway reservation period was earlier 120 days but was later reduced to 60 days. Despite the shorter booking window, demand during the festive season remains high as rail travel continues to be preferred for long-distance journeys because of its convenience, affordability and relatively safe travel.
Nikita Deshmane, a working professional, said, "I was prepared to book my ticket as soon as reservations opened at 8 am, but the seats were sold out within minutes. By the time I tried again, even waiting-list tickets were unavailable."
Passengers have also raised concerns about the alleged involvement of ticket touts in the reservation process. They claim that some touts manage to purchase tickets at reservation centres while avoiding scrutiny. There are also concerns over the use of advanced technology by touts to book tickets quickly through online systems.
Although authorised agents are provided separate logins for online reservations, passengers have demanded stricter action against those misusing the system. With festive demand expected to remain high, passengers have urged railway authorities to increase the number of special trains on busy routes and take measures to ensure fair access to tickets.